Pelargonium x domesticum 'African Queen'
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Pelargonium x domesticum 'African Queen'• Click here to visit our Main Plant List page for current availability of this plant
• common names: Martha Washington geranium, regal geranium
• flowering season: summer through to fall
• height: 12 to 18 inches, and even a bit taller for older plants
• Light requirements: morning sun only or filtered light; does not like as much hot afternoon sun as other geraniums like
• Soil requirements: average garden soil or potting soil that drains freely
• Water requirments: water thoroughly and then let it dry out considerably before watering again
• Growth habit: branching and bushy
• How to propagate: cuttings root well when started with a heat mat and a grow light
• Leaf type: 2 to 3-inch medium green leaves
• Ways to use it: planted outdoors for the summer or in a large terra cotta pot
• Special characteristics: during the winter the ideal temperature is the mid to low-forties, such as by a window in a basement or garage; it can be cut back drastically the second year if it grows too large, but be sure not to cut off all of the leaves in the process of pruning the branches
• Other points of interest: it really is not a temperamental plant to grow except in the Deep South where summer humidity and temperatures are high -- when grown where summers are cooler it is very undemanding and easy
'African Queen' has flowers of a rich, royal dark red with an even darker center or blotch to each petal. Cannot withstand freezing temperatures.
These “geraniums” are more accurately Pelargonium x domesticum. In England they are known as regal geraniums and in the U.S. as Martha Washington geraniums or simply as Marthas. They have the same basic needs as the more frequently grown zonal geraniums, except liking less intense sunlight. Give them filtered light, or full sunlight in the morning and shade in the afternoon.
For watering, we water them thoroughly and then let our plants dry out considerably before watering them again, and lightly spray the foliage in between waterings. To set flower buds and to flower well their second year in your garden they need a cooling down period over winter when you have them indoors. The temperature needs to be lower than 55°F at night but above freezing. So store them near the window of an unheated garage, porch or basement. They can be cut back before being brought inside, but leave a few leaves on at least a few of the branches.
Most of these beautiful varieties are hard-to-find. Because it takes several months to get them well-rooted from cuttings, please understand that when they run out, more will not be available until the following year. Potting them up and growing them onto flowering size is a slow, careful process. It is worth the wait, seeing their colors.